CT Leads the Way in Offshore Wind O& M/ Health & Safety at 2025 Oceantic Network Summit

Connecticut’s leadership in offshore wind operations and maintenance will be in the spotlight at the 2025 Oceantic Network Offshore Wind Operations & Maintenance and Health & Safety Summit, taking place January 29-31 in Providence. This pivotal three-day event will feature prominent industry experts, including Kristin Urbach, Executive Director of the Connecticut Wind Collaborative; Gordon Videll, CEO of Sea Services North America and Maria Hanna, President, and CEO of Survival Systems.

The summit will bring together global industry leaders committed to advancing offshore wind development, with Urbach moderating the Offshore Wind Training Excellence & Innovation in the Northeast panel. Videll and Hanna will share their innovative workforce training solutions, with both leaders also serving on the Collaborative Board of Directors.

Videll’s Sea Services North America, partners with commercial fishermen to provide scout and safety vessels to support offshore wind development. SSNA helps increase safety and provides commercial opportunities for fishermen through ongoing training, upgrading vessel safety,and providing contracts to supplement fishing incomes. To date, SSNA has paid commercial fishermen over $17 million through 11 campaigns.

Hanna’s Survival Systems, a Groton-based company, is at the forefront of workforce development and safety training for all military branches and offshore construction workers. They are the first in the region toprovide basic safety, sea survival, helicopter underwater egress training (HUET), and Global Wind Organization training and credentials.

Urbach, a recognized thought leader in renewable energy, is spearheading Connecticut’s efforts to set national benchmarks for offshore wind safety training — an essential component for the success of U.S. offshore wind projects.

The conference will be held at the Cambridge Innovation Center.